A Guide to Excellent Customer Service Over the Phone

The internet might be king these days, but many customers still reach out to businesses via telephone. What happens when the phone stops ringing shapes their opinion of your company. Use this guide to learn more about the top four things customers never want to experience on the phone; that way you can make sure they never do — at least not when they contact your business.

1. Excessive Hold Times

Most people understand that businesses get Busy and sometimes calls can back up. What people can’t understand, or simply don’t like, is when calls are so backed up they have to wait on the other end of the line for 40 minutes.

If you’re so busy, why can’t you get more people to answer the phone? That’s what your customers will be asking if they’re forced to wait on Hold more than a few minutes. They’ll also start to wonder, even if it’s only in the back of their mind, why your business doesn’t value them.

2. Distracted, Unhelpful Customer Service Representatives

Calling a business to get a person on the line that doesn’t seem like they want to answer your questions feels like a real slap in the face. Getting a customer service representative that just doesn’t know the answers, and doesn’t seem too pleased to have to find them, is just irritating. If you want happy customers, you need friendly, knowledgeable and helpful people Answering the phone.

3. Call Transfers, Repetitive Answers

We’ve all experienced calling a big company and being transferred to another department only to get the same Transfer treatment or a flat non-answer to our question. It’s one of the most frustrating things that can happen to anybody calling a business with a real question or request.

Most people have already experienced it, so they won’t appreciate when it happens when they call you. Take steps to avoid transfer after transfer and vague non-answers when customers reach out to your company.

4. Voicemail During Business Hours

When you call a business at 10 in the morning or two in the afternoon only to get an answering machine, it’s easy to feel like you’ve called a company that’s not worth working with. After all, they’re clearly too busy to answer incoming calls. Don’t let incoming calls go to Voicemail during the day if you don’t want your customers turning to the competition.

A professional live answering service can help you avoid each of these situations. A well-trained operator will be happy to answer questions–no matter how mundane–and will prevent callers from waiting on hold or being sent to voicemail. Instead, each caller will be greeted by a friendly, helpful voice at any time of the day or night.

The post 4 Things Your Customers Never Want to Experience on the Phone appeared first on Alliance Wireless Communications.